Researchers at Ohio State conducted a study to make mealtimes easier and safer for caregivers of patients with dementia. Credit: Caleb Blake | Photo Editor
Mealtime can be difficult for patients with dementia and their caregivers.
Now, Ohio State researchers are learning from 20 health professionals who work with dementia patients to find strategies caregivers can use during dinner time. This covers a variety of issues dementia patients might face, including being easily distracted or difficulty using some kitchen appliances like ovens and microwaves, said Lisa Juckett, assistant professor in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and lead author of a study on the topic published in December 2023.
According to the National Institute of Health, Dementia is defined as “the loss of cognitive functioning — thinking, remembering and reasoning — to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities.”
“We have to think of different innovative strategies and supports that we can provide these caregivers so they can help their loved ones or their friends with dementia eat more successfully and get their basic needs met,” Juckett said.
These strategies and solutions include reducing auditory and visual distractions, cleaning up clutter and leaning on the Meals on Wheels program, which delivers food to those who are unable to cook for themselves, Juckett said.
“There’s an opportunity for us as researchers to kind of piggyback off of what’s going on with these Meals on Wheels agencies that bring food into the home,” Juckett said. “They could look at what’s going on in the home around meal times and try to make some improvements that way. I think that could be a really promising opportunity.”
Low contrast meal-plating — a nearly blending, similar range of tones and colors — can also disrupt a dementia patient’s ability to eat, according to Juckett. For example, serving white mashed potatoes on a white plate can be difficult to see for those with dementia, so Juckett recommended using plate-food combinations that have higher contrast.
Dangers are also present before meals are on the plate, Juckett said.
“We worry about them trying to prepare meals for themselves using the stove and using the oven, sometimes using the microwave, in a manner that even if they were used to using the same appliances years ago in a way that was safe, that dementia has impaired their cognitive ability to do so now,” Juckett said.
Juckett hopes the solutions her team discovered can help keep dementia patients in their homes as long as possible under the supervision of a friend or family member.
“We knew that caregivers were helping a lot and we know that as the population of the people living with dementia is expected to rise over the next several decades,” Juckett said. “The 11 million caregivers that we currently have helping people live with dementia is, of course, going to increase as well.”
Over 80% of people with dementia live at home, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and roughly 60% of them are at risk of malnutrition, causing them to rely on their caregivers, Juckett said.
Mequeil Howard, a second-year Ph.D. student in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and an author of the study, said the researchers have several plans for the future of this project, including training caregivers.
“I would say that most of the caregivers we’ve talked to have liked the idea of a website, but also heavily want video showing what we’re trying to describe, not just a pamphlet or a handout, and they also would prefer hands-on training,” Howard said.
